There was a buzz in the Chevrolet Knights camp last week as the side was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the last international import ahead of the RamSlam T20 challenge.
Friday morning saw the arrival of West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell to become the sixth Windies to player come and ply his trade in the City of Roses.
Following a long flight from Jamaica, which saw the plane the player was travelling on turn around three hours out of Atlanta and head back to the city in Georgia, USA, there was no rest for Russell as he was immediately put to test in the nets with his new team as they prepared for Sunday’s tournament opener against the Warriors at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
Speaking at the unveiling at the team, the hard-hitting Jamaican said he is happy to be part of the Rainbow Nation for the second time. "I was excited when I got contracted to play in the RamSlam. It was something I wanted to do, knowing the World Cup is after the South Africa series (Windies tour to SA) and just to try and play as much cricket as possible," the shy player said.
"With the West Indies coming here, we want to adapt as quickly as possible and when the games begin we want to contribute as big as possible for our team," Russell said about his time in SA along with his compatriots Chris Gayle (Lions), Kieron Pollard (Cape Cobras), Darren Sammy (Titans) and Dwayne Bravo (Dolphins).
Russell, who immediately made an impact for the side during its 74-run win over the Warriors on Sunday, showed his commitment to the team by even having his hairstylist in Jamaica shave the sponsor’s logo into the left side of his head.
"This was my idea. When I saw the team’s logo I told my hairstylist I want to get something done ‘in’ my hair. He said the word Knights won’t work because it’s too long. So I said, alright, let’s go for the Chevy…It’s cool," he said about his interesting hairstyle.
The Knights face another tricky challenge when they face the Titans at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday, but will take a lot of confidence out of their outstanding win in the opening match.
